ONLINE GAMBLING AND CASINO GUIDE

Believe it or not, we actually have two “Strip”s in Las Vegas.

At least that’s how it is marketed.

There is The Strip we all know and used to love on Las Vegas Boulevard, and there is the lessor known “Boulder Strip”.

The Boulder Strip also has several pejorative names like the “Blue Hair Highway”, “Redneck Road”, “Trailer Park Turnpike” and any number of a dozen other monikers.

Physically, Boulder Highway is actually Fremont Street.  They simply renamed it and changed its trajectory just East of Downtown.  The “Boulder Strip” is a roughly 5 mile stretch of Boulder Highway between the Las Vegas City Limits and Tropicana Ave.  Give or take a couple of miles since it appears to be a very flexible term.  One old timer informed me that Boulder Highway and The Boulder Strip was synonymous. I disagree, but such is the interpretive nature of the road.

I get asked about the Boulder Highway area quite often and I’ll be honest, the queries surprise me.  I naturally assume that there is zero interest in this area from those who live outside of the state.

Boulder Highway does, however, tap into a niche segment of the Vegas tourism market.   Both Sam’s Town and Arizona Charlie’s have very popular Recreational Vehicle Parks.  Sam’s Town has 500 RV spaces, and AZ Charlie’s has 200.  Obviously, they aggressively market to the RV crowd.  If you happen to pass a Winnebago on the road to Las Vegas, chances are those folks are staying on Boulder Highway.

This Highway is a road that I use somewhat frequently.   As much as I hate to admit it, sometimes I do have to go to Henderson, and when I do, it is usually via the Fabulous Boulder Strip.  Freeway on-ramps near The Strip or Downtown are a nightmare, and by the time I actually grab a lane, I could already be on Boulder via Charleston, Sahara, or Desert Inn.   Surface streets are often simply faster in this town.

Even though this area is paradise for RV lovers and people who enjoy favorable gaming odds, I am  going to say something that I think few people will disagree with:  The Boulder Strip is as ugly as the day is long.

For a road in such a heavily populated metro area, it’s very unusual looking.

The Boulder Strip hosts four “major” casinos. Those casinos are Arizona Charlie’s, Boulder Station, Sam’s Town, and of course, The “new” Eastside Cannery.

Although I have been to them all a few times, the only one that I visit with any regularity is Boulder Station.  The Railhead is a decent concert venue, and I can take advantage of the Boarding Pass promotions which usually results in free meals, movie tickets, etc.

Sam’s Town is kind of interesting with animatronic beavers (I’m serious) in its outdoor atrium, and it is clean and playable.  The other properties are fine as well … but they are simply geographically disadvantaged.

Even though there isn’t a huge amount of tourist gambling action on Boulder, it is worth an occasional drive.

Why?

This stretch of road is an utter human zoo.  I’ve addressed Las Vegas’ overall weirdness in the past, and nowhere is the oddity of this town on public display moreso than on Boulder Highway.  As a matter of fact, I dare you to drive the length of the road and not do at least ten double-takes.

Is that really a prostitute standing in front of a trailer park trying to hitch a ride from passing vehicles?

Yes.  Yes it is.

Boulder Highway is the LSD of asphalt.  It’s unpredictable, and you never know what kind of trip it’s going to be … but one thing is for certain … you will see something that will mess with your mind.

Over the years, I’ve seen people driving monster trucks with flamethrowers as exhaust pipes on the highway.  I have seen people riding down the highway with a dog on their motorcycle handlebars.  I’ve seen guys walking dazed and confused up the center lane wrapped in nothing more than a shower curtain.  I’ve seen five people hanging off a generic Vespa as it struggled to make it up the incline.

The other staple of the Highway is Vietnam Vets.  Not the “I love the USA and I’m glad to be home” vets.   The Boulder vets tend to be more of the angry “I’ve seen things that will make a grown man cry blood!” variety.  They are all over the place, and from my experience, it’s better not to make eye contact with them.  I get the feeling that they could snap at any moment.

Boulder Highway is also dotted with obscure (and slightly weird) casinos like the Jokers Wild,  Skyline Casino, Mugshots Casino, and Longhorn Casino.   Playing in small, unknown, weird casinos is kind of a hobby of mine, and I will write about those later, but it’s suffice to say that Boulder Highway plays host to at least a few of them.  There are also several Strip clubs which specialize in dancers with bullet wounds and C-section scars.  If you want a grind girl who has been through some visible hardship and understands your pain, then Boulder Highway is your place.

The only real homes that front Boulder Highway directly are trailer parks, which are fairly prominent … hence the colorful nicknames for the road.

Personally, I like Boulder Highway because it’s part of the “real” Las Vegas.  The east side of Vegas definitely “gets” our town far more than the Californian-infested west side of town which is hell-bent on turning Las Vegas into Glendale.

Town Center Drive may have Escalades and finely manicured lawns, but Boulder Highway has character, originality, and three guys in a pickup truck tailgating you with a shotgun pointed at your head while screaming “Helter Skelter!” out the window.

How could you possibly resist such a place?

• Keep updated through Newsletter or on Facebook

  E-mail:
  

  Subscribe
  Unsubscribe